£2m grant fund aims to attract professional services teams Dow Schofield Watts has earmarked £2m in grant funding to attract professional services teams as it seeks to expand its UK footprint. The Dow Schofield Watts Entrepreneurship Grant scheme will be open to ‘break-out teams’ from top-tier firms who want to set up their own business … Continued
The post-Covid dilemma for professionals – and why it’s time for change in the accountancy sector Pandemics and other periods of global turmoil often create lasting shifts in society and Covid is no different. The events of the past 18 months have accelerated the uptake of technology, changed the way we live and work and … Continued
Dow Schofield Watts win Niche Firm of the Year Congratulations to our Yorkshire & North East team, who have won Niche Firm of the Year at the Yorkshire Accountancy Awards! It is the second time running they have won this award, and this year they were also runner up for the Corporate Finance Services award. … Continued
Collabco sale creates new global force in education software market Collabco – the UK company behind the student engagement platform myday – has been acquired by US-based Ready Education in a deal that brings together three market leaders across Europe and North America, with Netherlands-based StuComm also being acquired. Collabco, a software development specialist based … Continued
Hospitality leaders urge Chancellor to use tax relief to ‘save the industry’ A Dow Schofield Watts advisor is helping to lead a campaign calling on the Chancellor to use tax relief to encourage investors to support the hospitality industry through the pandemic and beyond. Payam Keyghobadi has joined forces with Alan Lorrimer, founder of London’s … Continued
Dow Schofield Watts in running for North West Dealmakers Awards Dow Schofield Watts has once again received multiple nominations in the annual Insider North West Dealmakers Awards. The firm is in the running for the Mid-Market Corporate Finance Team of the Year, an accolade it has won no fewer than three times in recent years. … Continued
Pandea Global M&A (“Pandea”) held its fifth international M&A conference on 21st and 22nd of November in Atlanta, hosted by the US member firm, Mazzone & Associates. 25 corporate finance professionals representing member firms from around the world exchanged views on cross-border M&A opportunities and global market trends. Pandea is a global network of selected … Continued
Pandea Global M&A (“Pandea”) held its fourth international M&A conference on 22nd and 23rd of May in Milan, hosted by the Italian member firm, GMT Partners. Over 25 corporate finance specialists representing member firms from Europe, the Americas, Asia, Africa and Australasia exchanged views on cross-border M&A opportunities and global market trends. Pandea is a … Continued
Earn-outs An earn-out is deferred consideration dependent upon the future performance of the business being acquired. The principal purpose is to bridge the price expectation gap between the buyer who will pay a price on past profits and the seller who expects a price based on the future potential of the business. The difficulty for … Continued
Competition – UK Legislation The Competition and Markets Authority (“CMA”) may initiate an investigation of a takeover if there is a merger situation qualifying for investigation (other than if covered by the European Commission). The CMA must initiate if it believes a relevant merger has been created which might be expected to result in a … Continued
Completion Accounts – Checklist Aide Mémoire This can only be an aid to guide the reviewer of a contract towards those areas of an acquisition contract which are of accounting significance and which might be sources of dispute in the future. At all stages you should be asking the questions: Is it clear? Is it … Continued
Completion Accounts – The Risks According to PriceWaterhouseCoopers (“PWC”), between 40% and 60% of M&A transactions have a completion accounts mechanism, whereby the purchase price is arrived at by reference to the Target’s net asset value (“NAV”) as at completion. The purchase price is adjusted after completion to reflect the actual net assets of the … Continued
Completion or Locked Box The prevalence of private equity in M&A transactions has led to an increasing trend in the UK to using the “locked box” approach to determine the final price for a target business rather than completion accounts. The primary difference between the two mechanisms is the date of transfer of economic risk. … Continued
Auctions Two techniques: Limited or controlled auction (a “handful” of candidates selected); Open auction (open to the world). Limited auctions can be completed quicker and the threat of an open auction can be used to keep bids up. Open auctions can threaten the business, but the release of information can be controlled. A controlled auction … Continued
Acquisition Rationale Deal rationales for acquisitions are usually to acquire: Customers – access to new customers and markets Products – access to new products and services. Capability/Diversification – access to new people, technology, IP, or distribution channels; Defensive – to prevent a competitor from acquiring the business or key assets. Synergies – arising from strengthened … Continued